Your Royal Wedding

Did you watch the royal wedding?  Did you find it to be a joyful event or does watching something like that make you feel discontented with your own life? 

I remember one time many years ago when I was working at a golf tournament as part of my job.  The company I worked for was a sponsor and so we were helping to run some of the activities.  The money was flowing that day.  These businessmen came to support a good cause and they were throwing money around like it was just paper.  At the time I was late on my rent and my car and with two little children, I wondered what I would do if we became homeless or if I lost my only transportation to get to work, both very real possibilities at the time.  The extravagance of the businessmen in the face of my extreme money issues was more than I could handle.  I pretended to be sick and said I had to leave.  

So, maybe you watched the royal wedding and the extravagance of the whole event was more than you could handle in the face of your extreme money issues.  The security bill alone was millions of dollars.  Or maybe you looked at the happy couple and thought that their fairy tale wedding was a far cry from the small ceremony you had and it made you feel inadequate.  Perhaps their happiness is a reminder of how bad your relationship with your spouse has become and you wish your husband looked at you like a princess.  Sometimes such events as this wedding can simply just make you feel like you are missing out in life and discontented with what you have.  It can make you happy for them but leave you thinking my life will never be like that.  I will have to settle for being a commoner.  

I want to remind you today that you are royalty.  1 Peter 2:9 "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."  Our father is the King of kings, that makes us royalty.  Not someday when we get to heaven but in the here and now.  Romans 5:17 "For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!"  

Today nothing would please the Father more than for you to accept your royalty status.  To deny it and see yourself as something less, is to deny what Jesus did for you on the cross.  Remember that we don't choose to be royalty.  We don't put ourselves in that position any more than Meghan Markle chose to make herself royalty.   God put us there.  God chose us - "you are a chosen people."  We are not being prideful to simply believe that God's Word is true.  In fact, to believe otherwise would be a sin.  

Once Meghan accepted the prince's proposal of marriage she had to see herself no longer as an outsider, a commoner or someone that wasn't worthy.  Although others have tried to say she isn't worthy, the only opinions that matter are Prince Harry and the Queen.  And our Father has said that you are worthy to join the royal family because of Jesus.  You are no longer an outsider.  In fact, you can't get much closer than having Jesus in you and you in Jesus.  You are no longer a commoner.  Deuteronomy 28:13 "The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom."  And Ephesians 2:6 "And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus."

After Meghan accepted the prince's proposal, she also had to start getting ready to take her place in the royal family.  She went through some training.  That's what you and I are doing here on earth.  We said yes, to Jesus' invitation to come into our lives and yes to Him being our Lord and we are doing some training while we are waiting for the official wedding supper.

Revelation 19:6-9 "Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, 'Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty  reigns.  Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready;  it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure'— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.  And the angel said to me, 'Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.' And he said to me, 'These are the true words of God.'"

What are you doing to get ready for your royal marriage supper?  After you said yes to the proposal but before the big event, are you preparing yourself?  Meghan didn't just show up at the wedding with no preparation and everything magically happened and fell into place.  No, a lot of preparation went into it.  And as a Christian, you can't just show up each day and have things magically fall into place for you either.  You need to prepare.  Are you growing as a Christian?  Is your faith growing?  Are you doing anything to increase your faith?  Or are you just going through life and whatever happens is what happens?  

I did that for a long time.  I had the idea that God was in control and whatever happened must be His will.  That sounds good religiously but it sure isn't biblical.  God has given us the authority to reign here on earth.  Yes, you are still going to have troubles here on earth.  Jesus told us that.  But we can avoid an awful lot of them and we can get through the others so much better (not staying stuck in them, but actually be delivered from them).  

Are you preparing?  Are you training for reigning?  Are you actively and consistently developing your faith by practice?  Or are you just doing the minimums...maybe just what has become routine?   Do you go to church just because that is what you do on Sundays?  Do you attend your Sunday School Class but put no time into the study outside of class because you are just going through the motions?  You were made for so much more!

When you said yes, to Jesus, you said yes, to the mission.  Just as Meghan saying yes to Harry was saying yes to the mission of the royal family.  You are now part of the royal family with responsibilities and a mission as well as all the benefits.  You have a purpose in life now.  You were chosen...chosen to join the royal family.  I say, let's go out and own it.  Own the position He has given you - all to the glory of God.  Wake up each morning and put your imaginary crown on if you want to (or a real one - I won't judge!) and walk in your royal calling.  

And by the way, your royal wedding is coming.  I think the angels might line the streets of Heaven and cheer us on.  The angels will form a choir to sing the wedding music.  Our husband, the Lord, will come riding in on His white horse and we'll be together forever.  Not to take anything away from Harry and Meghan's joyful day, but your day is coming and nothing will compare!

Accept your royalty status and agree with God about who you really are.  You'll be free to start reigning in life!